Republicans on Capitol Hill are bracing for the absolute worst—a flurry of investigations into Donald Trump’s businesses, his ties to Russia, his most infamous policies, and much more—if the Democrats take the House this November, according to a Monday report from Axios.
The reporting is based on a spreadsheet, obtained by the site, which is apparently circulating through Republican circles both on and off the Hill. The document “meticulously” catalogues requests Democrats have already made but have been held off, thanks to the GOP’s control of Congress.
Get a load of this list, per Axios:
It has churned Republican stomachs. Here are some of the probes it predicts:
President Trump’s tax returns
Trump family businesses — and whether they comply with the Constitution’s emoluments clause, including the Chinese trademark grant to the Trump Organization
Trump’s dealings with Russia, including the president’s preparation for his meeting with Vladimir Putin
The payment to Stephanie Clifford — a.k.a. Stormy Daniels
James Comey’s firing
Trump’s firing of U.S. attorneys
Trump’s proposed transgender ban for the military
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s business dealings
White House staff’s personal email use
Cabinet secretary travel, office expenses, and other misused perks
Discussion of classified information at Mar-a-Lago
Jared Kushner’s ethics law compliance
Dismissal of members of the EPA board of scientific counselors
The travel ban
Family separation policy
Hurricane response in Puerto Rico
Election security and hacking attempts
White House security clearances
That extensive list includes request to nearly every committee and, according to Axios’ Jonathan Swan, “would turn the Trump White House into a 24/7 legal defense operation.”
This would indeed be very bad for the Republicans! But this potential investigative armageddon could only happen if the Democrats take the House, which is far from a certainty. It’s also not as if things haven’t been terrible for the White House already. Even with their party in control of both the House and Senate, the administration has been rocked by scandals, culminating in the implosions of former Trump associates Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort last week. Robert Mueller’s probe is ongoing, but has so far yielded more than 100 criminal charges against 33 people and three companies. If this administration has taught us anything, though, it’s that things can always get worse.